The airport is inaugurated its operation on 24 May, 2018, as President aircraft Indonesia-1 for the first time landed at the airport. It is a single 2,500 meters runway airport and will be extended to 3,000 meters in November 2018.[5] The new airport functions as a buffer to help ease air traffic at Soekarno–Hatta International Airport in Jakarta. Upon completion, the Airport will have the total capacity of up to 29 million passengers annually, with plenty of space for expansion.[6] The airport will also operate cargo terminals with the official estimate at 1.5 million tons of cargo by 2020.

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In order to ensure completion of Kertajati Airport, construction of Karawang Airport has been put on hold and Kertajati has been put on faster track for completion.[7][8] The 1,800 hectares airport is estimated to cost Rp.25,4 trillion. The plan includes three runways (3750 m x 60 m, 4025 m x 60 m, and 3000 m x 60 m) to accommodate jumbo jets such as Airbus A380, Antonov An-225 Mriya and world's longest jets to include Boeing 747-8 and Airbus A350-1000 XWB. The airport will also be equipped with technology to handle latest aircraft such as Boeing 787-10[8] The project will include a 3,400 hectares Aerotropolis, known as Kertajati Aerocity. Twice the size of the airport, this Aerotropolis will be a new center of economic growth.[9] It is located north of the Cipali Toll Road, east of Cimanuk river.[10]

Project implementation consists of five phases: preparation phase (2015), phase I (2015-2020), phase I-II (2016-2025) and purpose phase II and IV after 2025. During Phase I, the project focused on airport development. Phases I-II will be Kertajati Aerocity development, phase III will be the growth of Kertajati as aerotropolis, and as the final phase, Kertajati Aerocity will act as an enabler of sustainable economic center. Based on strategic development plan, aside from regular large passenger jet & cargo flights, the airport facilities have been optimized for Low Cost Carriers (LCC) and Hajj flights to Saudi Arabia.[11][12]This will eventually shift passengers and traffic from Bandung & West Java which have been heavily congesting CGK, to Kertajati.[13]

The president Joko Widodo arrived at Kertajati International Airport and gave a speech on 24 May 2018

Initially, the terminal will have 121,000 square metres (1,302,433 sq ft) area with 2 concourses of domestic & international gates, 11 million passengers a year. Furthermore, as construction proceeds, the terminal will expand to 209,151 square metres (2,251,283 sq ft) area with a passenger capacity of 29.3 million passengers per year by 2020, with plenty of space for phase II expansion.[14]Citilink is the first airline to get permission with Kertajati-Juanda route will start on June 8, by an Airbus A320 aircraft.[15]

Cisumdawu Toll Road will give access to the new airport and it is now under construction (2011-2019). In the meantime, the airport is also accessible by Cipali Toll Road. Albeit accessible by two toll roads, public opinion has cited poor planning due to lack of mass transportation as a singular system, as opposed to the currently unconnected sub-systems. In order to address such public concern, the Government of Indonesia has mitigated this issue by integrating the ongoing airport infrastructure railway projects in Jakarta.

Although still pushing for high speed rail project that will extend from Bandung to the airport, PT Bandara Internasional Jawa Barat (BIJB) and Railink have signed an MOU to build rail tracks and airport train system, when necessary.[18][19]

There are Damri bus to Bandung at 16:50 Rp 75,000 and to Cirebon at 16:50 Rp 40,000.[20]